Honda Refreshes CR-Z for 2016

Decades ago, when I first met my wife, she had an old beat up Honda CR-Z. I loved that car; it was so fun to drive and looked cool too. I always wished Honda would come back out with a car like that. The CR-Z looks a bit like the CR-X of old, but is a completely different animal.

The hybrid CR-Z actually hasn’t sold well for Honda, with only about 1,500 of the current model sold through July of this year. Now, a refreshed version of the CR-Z will be hitting dealerships to help spur sales.

Updates are primarily aesthetic though, with a revised front-end design that’s a bit more aggressive. There are also larger disc brakes, and a sport sound system which enhances the exhaust note and cancels road noise in the cabin, making it at least sound more sporty to its occupants. There’s also an electric parking brake – whoo. Japanese buyers will also get LED headlamps.

Word on the street is that the refreshed car will have the same powertrain as the current car. That means a small 1.5L 4-cylinder and IMA hybrid system that makes 130hp. The updated car is expected to hit the U.S. in November.